Govt spending efficiency slower in April – DBM data

GOVERNMENT budget utilization slowed down in April despite an increase in fund releases as major agencies slowed spending, data from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) showed.The utilization rate was 91.3 percent, lower than March’s 98.5 percent but higher than 2025’s 92 percent.

the DBM’s 2026 report on Notices of Cash Allocation (NCA) showed that the national government, along with local governments and state-owned enterprises, spent P1.63 trillion of the P1.78 trillion in NCAs issued as of the end of April.

NCAs enable government agencies to access funds from the Bureau of the Treasury for their respective expenditure requirements.

Government departments utilized P980.53 billion, or 86.5 percent, of their allotted funds, leaving P152.8 billion unused out of the total P1.13 trillion allocation. This was lower than the 89 percent seen in the same period last year.

Several agencies posted weaker spending performance during the month, the DBM said.

The Department of Agriculture had one of the lowest utilization rates at 44.2 percent, having used only P11.42 billion of releases totaling P25.86 billion and leaving P14.44 billion unused. This was a lot lower than the 84.5 percent in March.

The Department of Transportation also saw a steep decline in utilization efficiency, with just 67.3 percent of its P28.61-billion allocation having been spent, leaving P9.36 billion unused. This was a sharp reversal from March when it nearly used up its entire budget at 99.9 percent.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development spent only 78.2 percent of its P132.60-billion budget, with unused allocations at P28.87 billion, the largest among all agencies.

Other offices with low utilization rates included the Presidential Communications Office (61 percent), Civil Service Commission (60.6 percent) and the Commission on Elections (51 percent).

On the other hand, the Department of Foreign Affairs used 99.3 percent of its allocations while the Department of Energy and the Office of the Vice President both had 98.7 percent rates. The Department of Interior and Local Government and the Department of Tourism each recorded 96.5 percent utilization.

Among the government’s largest spending agencies, the Department of Education topped the list at P240.28 billion out of the P263.50 billion released.

The Department of Public Works and Highways followed with P137.59 billion of its P158.72 billion budget while the Department of National Defense spent P118.16 billion from its P132.45-billion allocation.